Auto fore-carriage for vehicles.



e. B. N. I. E."SUBBA. AUTO FORE CARRIAGE FOB VBHIGLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 12, 1910.

Patented July 9, 1912.

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G. E. N. I. E. SUBRA.

AUTO FORE CARRIAGE FOB VEHICLES.

APPLIQATION FILED our. 12, 1910.

1,031,825; Patented ul 9,-1912.

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:GUSTAVE EMILE NOE ISIDORE ERNEST SUBRA, OF FQHTI E NAY SO'QS-BOIS,FRANCE.

AUTO FOIEQE-G ABBIAGE FOB VE HICLw.

Specification of Letters Ratent.

Application filed October- 12, 1910. Serial No, 586,617.

.- Patented July 9, mm.

To all whom it may poncern Be it known that I, Gus'rAvE EMILE Nor:IsIpoRE ERNEST SUBRA, engineer, citizen of the French Re ublic, residingat Fontenaysous-Bois, in t e Department of the Seine and Republic ofFrance, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in AutoFore-Carriages for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an autofore-carriage dev-ice applicableto passenger or commercial vehicles designed to replace animal tractionby mechanical power for the transport of passengers or merchandisewithout requiring alterations to the body For the purpose of steeringthe fore-carriage turns in the same way as an ordinary fore-carriagearound a central pin, and it actuates by means of a driving axle the twosteering wheels with which said axle is fitted at the ends.

According to the present invention, the engine and transmission gear aremounted directly upon the live axle casing or bridge, the parts beingarranged astride'said bridge so that their weight is balanced thereon;the axle is controlled by a pair of compensating rods which are pivotedthereto at their lower ends on axes lying longitudinally of the vehiclein such a manner as to allow uneven tilting of the axle, while theirupper ends are guided against the. fore-carriage frame to resist thedriving torque or reaction of the axle. These rods are provided withauxiliary springs or shock-absorbers fitted between collars mounted onthe rods and guides attached to the fore-carriage; these springs act inopposition to the main springs and render more smooth the riding of thevehicle in the known manner. The transmission of power is efiected bymeansof a worm drive, which presents the special advantage of attordingat a single step the large reduction of gear necessary to obtain with ahigh. speed engine the comparatively low speed of travel essential inconverted vehicles of the type .in question. This worm drive constitutesthe direct drive or top speed gearin while the lower speeds and reverseare ogtained by means of a change speed gear of the known type. Asa'result of thelarge gear reduction embodied in the worm drive, thisgearing may be irreversible; consequently the worm wheel is providedwith 'a free wheel or? ratchet clutch device which enables the vehicleto travel without the engine revolving,

as for instance in descending hills.

The auto fore-carriage arrangement which forms the objectof the presentinvention is shown by way of example on the annexed drawings, which:

' Figure 1' is a sectional elevation of the tievice. Fig. 2 is a sectionat right ang es thereto.

Upon a divided axle a a are mounted at the respective extremities thetwo driving and steer ng wheels 6, operated by means of the claws or jawclutches 0 secured to the hub e of each of the wheels by the bush orcenter d. The claws o engagev suitable notched seatings formed upon adisk f secured to the axle and rotated therewith.

The rotation of the engine shaft 14 is transmitted to the fore-carriageby means of a worm g actuated by the 'engine shaft and constantly inmesh with a worm-wheel h mounted with a free-wheel movement upon asleeve j surrounding the'differential sleeve 2'. By the aid of this freewheel movement the carriage is able to descend an incline at a greater seed than that which would be imparted to it by the engine. The

sleeve j is of hexagonal section and upon it' are mounted the pinions kand Z; the pinion Z operates the first speed and the reverse,

.the pinion 7c controls the second speed, when and in mesh with anotherwheel 1 on the difierential. The two parts a a of thedivided axle areconnected in the usual manner through the medium of the bevel Wheels 1"placed, for this purpose, at the inner end of the axles. The brake onthe differential is formed by a pulley or drum 8 around which isarranged a band which can be operated from outside through a flexiblecontrol by the pedal 8. The rotation imparted to each of the parts-a awhich form the driving shaft, is transmitted to the wheels through thedisks f the notched peripheries of which receive the corresponding clawsc of the centers at. Each of these disks rotates the wheel to which itis secured. The parts I:

i a of the shaft turn in a casing t onwhich are. fixed the stirrups udesigned to receive the springs v, fixed at their other endsto theunderframe w to which is secured by means of support y a. ring 3 thetoothed interior of w ich, meshing with a pinion 2 controlled by thewheel 1 constitutes the steering gear. On the outside of the toothedring 3 is placed a second channelshaped ring 2 made integral with thebody of the ,yehicle by the support 2' and the girder 2 and held againstthe toothed ring by means of clips 3 arranged for this purpose in frontand behind. The rings y and 2 turn around the pin 4 in the usual way.

Rods 5 pivoted between ears 6 attached to the casing t, and carrying attheir upper ends rollers 7 moving on elastic supports 7 T integral withthe cross members 8, are intended to compensate the lateral forces atthe time of starting and stopping: for this purpose, the rods 5 are heldIn a metal piece 9 fixed to the underframe w. forces are compensated bythe spring 10 conveniently placed at thetop of the rod 5. This spring 10in compressing the ordinary springs of the vehicle forms in some ways ashock absorber. 1

The moving parts of theauto fore-carriage are cont-all ed in a gear caselland operated by an engine of one or more cylinders, vertical,horizontal or inclined, which works by means of the piston 13, the

crank shaft 14 on which are mounted the worm g. in mesh with thefree-wheel gear 72., as well as the fly-wheel 15, theclutch 1.6 and thecollar 17 for operating the clutch. The changes of speed are effected bymeans of the lever 18 which operates through a flexible transmission, asliding gear mem ber which, in the example shown on the annexeddrawings, can impart to the vehicle three different speeds.

Between the two underframes w and behind the cross piece 8 are placedthe petrol tank and the two water reservoirs 19 joined together by smallhorizontal tubes 20 forming the radiator.

An oil reservoir 21 is situated in any convenient part of the gearcase'l1 and integral therewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as such and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. An auto fore-carriage for vehicles,comprising a casing, an axle mounted in said casing, wheels journaled atthe outer ends of said axle, an engine, a frame supported above theaxle, springs-between said frame and axle, transmission gear connectingthe engine to said axle, said engine and transmission gear beingmountedastride, said casing, and rods pivoted to said The verticalof said axle,an engine, transmission gear connecting said engine to said axle, saidengine and transmission gear being mounted est-ride said casing, saidtransmission gear including a Worm directly rotated by the engine, aworm-wheel engaging said worm and a free-wheel device connecting saidworm-wheel to said axle, a fore-carriage frame supported above the axle,springs be-" tween said frame and axle, and means. for resisting thetorque of said casing.

3. An auto-fore-carriage, forvehicles, comprising a casing, an axlemounted in said casin wheels journaled at the outer ends of said axle,an engine, a fore-carriage frame, springs between the same and axle, afly Wheel, said engine and flywheel mounted rigidly upon said casing onopposite sides thereof, transmission gear connecting said engine to saidaxle, said transmission gear being mounted directly upon said casin rodspivoted to said casing at their lower ends on axes lying lengthwise ofthe vehicle, said rods guided at their upper ends against thefore-carriage frame, collars upon said the casing and fore-carriageframe having.

their upper ends guided against the latter, said rods adapted to resistthe driving torque or reaction of the axle.

5. An auto fore-carriage for vehicles,

comprising a casing, an axle mounted therein, wheels journaled at theouter ends of said axle, an engine, a fore-carriage frame above theaxle, springs between said frame and axle, transmission gear, connectingthe engine to the .axle, pivoted rods between the casing andfore-carriage frame having their upper ends guided against the latter;said rods adapted to resist the driving torque or reaction of the axle,and shock absorbing elements on said rods between the fore-carriageframe and said springs.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAVE EMILE NOE ISIDORE ERNEST SUBRA. Witnesses:

DoUM i CAsALoNeA, GUSTAVE -DUMONT.

